Business Overview:

If you are a skilled artist looking for a fantastic way to showcase your talents across various media, you should consider running your own animation business. Whether you are a graphic designer or a traditional artist interested in making the transition to high-tech, you will find that animation offers many options. To be truly successful with this business idea, you should first choose a niche. Animation is used in television commercials, movies and video games. Decide what your experience and interest draws you to and concentrate on that area. Next you need to design a website to showcase your projects. Create a demo that potential customers can see that shows your range. You can operate this business exclusively online or you can market to local businesses, or both. If you are not a skilled animator but see the potential of this type of business, you can hire skilled animators to work for you. Market your business by reaching out to advertising companies to see if you can contribute your animation to their current or future ad campaigns. If you live in a city with a sizable motion picture production community, meet with production companies to discuss how your business can add special effects to locally produced movies. If you’d rather concentrate on the video game sector, you can contact video game producers and show them your demo animations. This field is highly competitive so you’ll want to seek out connection with possible clients through friends, family, and word of mouth. Getting started is the hardest part; once you have a few clients, word of mouth will be a valuable marketing tool. The animation business may be competitive but it is also one of the most best online business ideas for an entrepreneur looking to get into the world of digital artistry.

A Day in the Life of an Animation Business Owner:

Your day will begin with a check of any emails or phone calls from potential customers. You will follow up with them and meet with them (virtually or in person) if needed. You will then work on any ongoing projects and make sure they are completed on time. You may need to talk to your clients throughout the design process to ensure you are both on the same page with what they need. You will spend some time during your day marketing your business by calling local businesses or placing ads on various websites. When time allows you will also create new demos and post them to your website.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be various businesses in need of high quality animation services. They may be movie production companies, advertising companies or video game producers.

What You Need to Start:

• Animation business plan
• Experience with cutting edge animation programs or a staff of experienced animators
• Website
• Demo animation projects
• Computer with various animation programs and plenty of storage space
• Marketing plan
• Finance software

The Good:

• Animation services are in high demand in various industries.
• You can charge top dollar for high quality animation.
• You will likely get repeat business from satisfied customers.
• You can operate this business online only or work with local businesses.
• This business can easily be run part-time from home.

The Bad:

• You will need to invest in extremely robust and costly animation software and computer equipment.
• It can take some time to build your client list.

Resources:

• International Animated Film Society
• Professional Association for Design
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Artists and Related Workers
• Wikipedia on Animation

Technorati Tags: animation business plan, running your own animation business

Business Overview:

If you love making home movies and are the go-to friend to record everyone’s special events, you should start your own video recording business. Imagine doing what you love and making a healthy living off of it. You can start small, recording events like birthday parties and dance recitals, and ramp up to larger events like weddings and business conventions. But before you go too far with this business idea, you’ll need to purchase a high quality digital video recorder, tripod and some digital video editing software. You may have gotten by in the past with your old recorder but in order to charge your clients top dollar, you really do need the best equipment. You can find brand new high quality cameras wholesale or on sites like eBay. Next you will need to consider your marketing plan. Start with friends and family – have them spread the word about your new business telling potential clients what a great job you did with their events. You should put together a short promotional video to give people an idea of your shooting and post-production style. And here’s a hint: the better your post-production skills, the better the video will turn out and the higher you can charge for your services. Anyone can shoot a wedding start to finish but if you edit it well, include appropriate transitions and music, it can be the difference between amateur and professional. After you have a few events under your belt, your reputation will spread among the markets you are targeting. Take out some ads in local wedding magazines and community periodicals. Before you know it, you’ll need to hire additional videographers to handle the workload and you will just need to manage and promote your successful business.

A Day in the Life of a Video Recording Business Owner:

Your day will begin with a check of your schedule to see if you need to prepare for any events that day. If you have an event, you will need to load up your gear and get to the event site well before the start time to set up. If you have a crew working with or for you, coordinate with them to ensure everything is set up on time. After the event, you will touch base with the client to let them know when to expect the finished product and arrange for final payment. If you don’t have an event that day, you will concentrate on marketing your business. You will review the ads you have lined up and determine if you need to widen your range to include other media like the Internet, direct mail, flyers, etc. Each day you will also check your finances to ensure everything is in order.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals or businesses who need high quality video recordings of various events.

What You Need to Start:

• Digital Video Camera
• Tripod
• Computer with editing software
• Marketing plan and materials
• Finance software

The Good:

• If your passion is video, you can spend your days doing what you love.
• The hours are flexible; you’re not in an office 9-5.
• You can work as much or as little as you want.
• You can easily start this as a side business while keeping your day job and ramp it up to a full-time business.
• You get to work with many different and interesting people.

The Bad:

• It can take some time to build your client base.
• You may run into trouble with some clients if your vision doesn’t match theirs.

Resources:

• The Digital Video Professionals Association
• Wedding and Event Videographers Association
• Association of Video Professionals
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Television, Video, and Motion Picture Camera Operators and Editors
• Wikipedia on Videographers

Technorati Tags: video recording business

Business Overview:

If you think playing video games is a blast, think about having the freedom to play any time: Owning an online video game store business can make that happen. The market for video games continues to grow, and with the advent of higher-tech games and consoles, the genre is reaching more and more players every year. Getting into the video game store business can be your ticket to doing something you love while earning good money for it. The best part is how simple this business idea really can be, though with so many companies selling games you will definitely want to have a solid video game store business plan mapped out before you invest your money. Your business plan should include how you will sell your merchandise—on your own website, on a site like eBay, or on both. You should also seriously consider where you will purchase your stock from as there are many wholesale suppliers and drop shippers out there. You should have a price plan in mind and a fair policy for returns. Most of all, you have to sell great games and products, but that’s the easy part. From there you can decide how much of the business you want to run, how much runs itself, and whether you want to hire employees and take your business to the next level. No matter how you play it, this online business idea can be as exciting as the games you sell.

A Day in the Life of an Online Video Game Store Business Owner:

An online business will require you to log on daily to keep up with your business. The first thing you will want to do is take care of any new orders that have been placed since the previous day. If you’re using a drop shipper, you’ll have to ensure they are trustworthy and get your orders shipped quickly. You will then want to scan your inventory to see if you need to place an order or take care of any issues. You will also want to decide if you’ll be adding any new products to your inventory—being on the cutting edge in the video game business is crucial to keeping your customers happy. Finally, you will want to track your finances and, if you’re following a solid business plan, watch your profits grow.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be gamers looking to purchase a new game at a competitive price. They will want access to the newest games in a variety of console formats and they will want fast shipping. You might also get customers who are buying games as gifts for others. If a serious gamer is pleased with your online video game store, you can be sure when the next new thing hits the market they will buy from you, which is why it’s key that you maintain exceptional customer service.

What You Need to Start:

• A computer and a high-speed internet connection
• A seller’s page on a website like eBay or your own website
• Access to a trustworthy wholesaler and drop shipper
• Finance and sales-tracking software

The Good:

• If you love playing video games, this is a great business for you.
• Profits can be very good if the business is well-run.
• Initial investment can be minimal.
• You can operate a small business part-time or build your video game business to include employees.
• You never have to leave your house.

The Bad:

• You’ll be competing with the major retailers and with other online video game stores.
• When you expand your business and hire employees, oversight can be difficult because they will likely be working out of their own homes.

Resources:

• Entertainment Software Association
• National Video Game Association
• International Video Gamers Association
• Wikipedia on the Video Game Industry

Technorati Tags: online video game store, video game store business, video game store business plan